The start of the Formula One 2020 season is poised to be hit by further delays with the Dutch Grand Prix and Spanish Grand Prix set to be postponed.
With the majority of sports across the world choosing to suspend or postpone races, F1 and the FIA decided to cancel the Australian Grand Prix on Friday just hours before the race weekend was set to begin.
News quickly followed of the immediate postponement of the Bahrain Grand Prix, which had already been scheduled to take place behind closed doors, and the inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix, which was due to take place in April.
On Friday, Dutch race officials released a statement revealing they are in talks about whether to hold their race on the original date or postpone for later in the year.
"Based on reports from Formula One Management and FIA, we are in joint consultation with them about the possible consequences for the Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix," it read.
"These are not yet fully known, but in the event of possible postponement, all tickets will remain valid. As soon as more news is known, we will share it with all parties involved."
But in a statement also released on Friday, the FIA said they "expect to begin the Championship in Europe at the end of the May", which would ultimately mean postponing the fifth and sixth races of the season and starting at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June.
It read: "Formula 1 and the FIA continue to work closely with the race promoters in Bahrain and Vietnam and the local authorities to monitor the situation and take the appropriate amount of time to study the viability of potential alternative dates for each Grand Prix later in the year should the situation improve.
"As a result, Formula 1 and the FIA expect to begin the Championship in Europe at the end of May but given the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Europe in recent days, this will be regularly reviewed."
It leaves race organisers with a potential logistical headache of trying to fit 22 race weekends across five continents into the last five months of the season.
